The Chaves de Brito family has been farming coffee in Brazil’s Sul de Minas region for over a century. The current generation – Denise, Letícia, Carmem Lucia, Paulo Fernando and Paulo Roberto – are passionate about producing top quality coffee on their family farm, Fazenda Caxambu.

Caxambu lies at between 930 and 1,150 metres above sea level in the rolling hills of south Minas Gerais, close to the small town of Três Pontas. This temperate region has average temperatures of between 21°C and 23°C, with an annual rainfall average of 1800mm – ideal conditions for producing coffee.

Caxambu extends over a total of 380 hectares, of which 280 hectares are under coffee. The farm is planted out with a big range of different varietals, which are carefully demarcated in separate plots:Yellow Bourbon, Yellow and Red Icatú, Rubí, Mundo Novo, Acaiá, Caturra, Yellow and Red Catuaí, and Topázio.

The farm’s cherries are picked by hand when they are fully ripe, with various passes to avoid harvesting green cherries. This particular lot is made up of a blend of Rubí, Mundo Novo and Icatú varietals that were processed using the pulped natural method – the cherries are pulped and the beans are then immediately moved onto the farm’s drying patios with their sticky mucilage still attached. Once the beans reach optimum humidity they are rested in the farm’s purpose-built warehouses until they are ready for export.